Meaning & use
promisor
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Meanings
nouncountablelegallaw
A person who makes a legally binding promise to another person.
Grammar: Countable; often followed by 'to' plus the other party: a promisor to the buyer.
Patterns
- the promisor
- a promisor to someone
- the promisor and the promisee
Under the contract, the promisor must deliver the goods by June.
If the promisor fails to pay, the other party can sue for damages.
The court asked whether the promisor had intended to be legally bound.
nouncountableformal
In general use, anyone who makes a promise, whether or not it is legally enforceable.
Grammar: Used in formal writing about promises; everyday speech prefers 'the person who promised'.
Patterns
- a promisor
- the promisor of something
Every promisor hopes the other side will keep their word.
The letter named her as the promisor of the loan.
Word forms
| plural | promisors |
|---|
Common combinations
- the promisor's obligation
- The promisor's obligation ends when the payment clears.
- bind the promisor
- A signed deed binds the promisor even without payment.
- promisor and promisee
- Both the promisor and the promisee signed the agreement.
- the promisor fails to perform
- If the promisor fails to perform, the contract may be ended.
Synonyms and how they differ
- obligor
- A close legal synonym, but it stresses the duty owed rather than the promise made.
- guarantor
- A guarantor promises to pay someone else's debt, which is a narrower role than a promisor.
- promise-maker
- A plain, informal way of saying the same thing; not used in legal documents.
Opposites
Word family
- promise noun
- A statement that you will do something; the act behind the promisor's role.
- promisee noun
- The person who receives the promise, the opposite party in the contract.
- promissory adjective
- Describing a promise, as in a promissory note.
Commonly confused: promisor or promisee? promisor or promissory?
promisor vs promisee
The promisee receives the promise, while the promisor makes it. The -or ending marks the doer, as in employer, and -ee marks the receiver, as in employee.
promisor vs promissory
This is an adjective describing a promise; promisor is the person who makes it.
Practice
In a contract, who is the promisor?
Choose one answer.
The promisor is the party who makes the promise, so option 1 is correct. The receiver is the promisee; the lawyer and the court are not parties to the promise.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “promisor”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.